CARLYLE - Hockey is a large part of southeast Saskatchewan, and this includes the Carlyle U18 Wildcats women’s hockey team.
Jennifer Einarson is part of this hockey club but not as a player. She moved to Arcola from Alberta and her two daughters got involved in playing hockey.
When her girls became old enough to play for the Wildcats, she became the team’s manager.
Brian Hagel is the coach and for seven years he had been the only one at the helm. Einarson has looked after this since 2021. She makes the team’s schedule for games and practices, finds referees for the games and all road trip issues.
The 23 players come from Moosomin, Kipling, Kisbey, Ochapowace, White Bear, Redvers, Carnduff, Storthoaks and Arcola, with home ice in Carlyle, although a few games are played in Arcola.
The Wildcats play in the Saskatchewan Female Hockey League's U18 A division, and there is extensive travelling involved for the teams, as they play opponents as far away as Swift Current.
When travelling such a distance, Einarson said two games are scheduled with the same team over a weekend.
They have travelled over 4,200 kilometres this hockey season alone and this does not include time spend on the road for practice nights.
Expenses for the team are not covered and no admission is charged to watch the games. To raise money and help cut costs, they hold 50/50 draws and raffle prizes.
Getting the team ready for games is Hagel’s job. He began coaching in 2007 and is passionate about the sport.
He moved to Carlyle in 2012 and the following year he began coaching in Carlyle Minor Hockey. Hagel was president from 2014-2018, and on the arena board for the same years. In 2017, he started coaching the Wildcats and he has a warm-up routine.
On game days, the young women arrive 60-90 minutes before the game begins.
Hagel said, they relax and get focused in the dressing room and listen to music.
About 45 minutes prior to the game, they jog around the arena, stretch, and play volleyball or soccer.
During this time, there is no coach interaction. This is strictly team building before the puck drops.
Once the team has their equipment on, usually 10 minutes before hitting the ice, they tell Hagel they are ready, and this is when Hagel will talk about the game at hand.
Hagel will discuss demanding work, team play, game strategy and having fun. The starting lineup is also announced at this time.
On Feb. 25 in Carlyle, the Wildcats faced off against the Moose Jaw Mavericks in a one-game elimination contest.
The game started with a lot of anticipation, but after the first period, Moose Jaw led 1-0.
In the second period, things began to heat up and the scored was tied at 2-2. Miley Lockerby and Presley Nord scored for Carlyle in the frame.
According to Hagel, the referees put the whistles away and let the girls play hockey.
It was a battle until the end, but the Wildcats emerged victorious with a goal by Alysa Geiger early in the third period to take a 3-2 win.
Goaltender Lexi Pirlot had a busy rookie year with 21 starts. She shut the door during the third period to lift the Wildcats to the win.
The Wildcats are now facing Balcarres, the top-ranked team in the league's South Division, in a best-of-three series.
Balcarres won the first game 4-1 on Feb. 27. The game was tied at 1-1 after two periods, with Morgan Balogh scoring for Carlyle, but Balcarres had three goals in the third.
The second game is set for March 1 in Carlyle at 8 p.m. Game 3, if necessary, would be March 3.
